ABSTRACT
The concept of the modern university was introduced to Japan during the first years of the Meiji period. Like many other modern institutions, the Japanese university had native precursors in the Tokugawa Period. The normal school sector of prewar Japanese higher education was quasi-militaristic with a strict disciplinary regimen. Under the American Occupation, the entire system of education underwent fundamental reorganization. The American authorities viewed prewar Japanese higher education as elitist and hierarchical. Among its major recommendations were: diversifying higher education to meet the increased demand and to protect the quality of higher education; reforming the teaching, research and administration of institutions of higher education; providing government assistance to private universities; reforming the system of entrance examinations; and implementing long-range national planning in higher education. Internationalization has been a subject of much debate within Japan and goes far beyond the confines of higher education.
